INDIANAPOLIS – On Monday, Senate Bill (SB) 276, authored by State Senator Tim Lanane (D-Anderson), passed unanimously out of the House of Representatives. This proposal allows court-approved guardians to make funeral arrangements and control the disposition of a deceased, protected person’s body.

Sen. Lanane had the following remarks on the passage of SB 276:

“This bill eliminates barriers in place that make it difficult for guardians to make final arrangements for the remains of protected persons,” Sen. Lanane said. “This is particularly important in cases where an individual does not have family members to make arrangements for them—which is often the case for a protected person.

“During the time of COVID-19, this problem has become even more important as the majority of guardianships are for adults 65 and older. These Hoosiers are the most at-risk of being hospitalized or passing from COVID-19, and then being left with no one to carry out necessary arrangements on their behalf.

“It is vital that the barrier preventing the care of these individuals be removed, and I’m very pleased with the bipartisan support SB 276 has received. I’m also thankful to the Indiana Funeral Directors Association, Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults, the Indiana Area Agencies on Aging and the AARP for their support on this bill. I’m happy to see it receive the support needed to advance out of the General Assembly this year.”